Universal Music Group and Southeast Records sign international deal with Dhurata Dora

Universal Music Southeast Records and Ventura Records have announced an exclusive international collaboration with Dhurata Dora. The contract was signed in Berlin, making a significant milestone in the career of the pop artists from the Balkan. Together the label will implement a focused marketing and A&R strategy and will support the next chapter of Dhurata Dora's career, bringing her music to an even wider global audience.

Okan Aydogdu, Founder of Southeast Records and Daniel Schmidt, Senior Vice President Polydor x Island x VenturaRecords, on the collaboration: 

For Okan Aydogdu, founder of Southeast Records, Dhurata's signing represents an important milestone in opening more doors for artists from Southeast Europe on the global stage:

“This agreement with Dhurata means a great deal to me personally. We have known, trusted and valued each other for years. This partnership is more than a signing: It's a signal and it brings us a big step closer to our mission of taking artists from Southeast Europe to international audiences together with Universal Music.”

For Daniel Schmidt, Senior Vice President Polydor x Island x VenturaRecords, the partnership reflects a shared ambition to expand Dhurata Dora's international presence while strengthening her impact across Southeast Europe through strategic local collaborations: “Dhurata Dora is one of the most successful artists of the Albanian diaspora and a perfect fit for Southeast and Ventura Records. She combines hits, attitude and urban star power. Our goal is to further expand her international presence while also strategically focusing on local collaborations.”

With the support of Southeast Records, VenturaRecords and Universal Music, Dhurata Dora is entering a new chapter in her career. Building on her impressive track record, this new international partnership reflects the growing global influence of Balkan pop, with Dhurata Dora at the forefront of this movement.

About Dhurata Dora

Dhurata Dora was born in 1992 in Nuremberg, Germany, to Kosovar-Albanian parents. She began her music career in 2011 with the release of her debut single and quickly gained recognition in the Albanian-speaking music scene. Over the following years, she released a series of successful singles, developing a distinctive sound that blends pop, hip-hop and modern dance music.

In 2019, Dhurata reached an international audience with the hit single "Zemër," marking a major milestone in her career. Since then, she has continued to expand her international presence through a steady stream of successful releases and performances.

Today, Dhurata Dora's music reaches millions of listeners around the world. Across streaming platforms and social media, her songs have accumulated hundreds of millions of streams and video views, making her one of the most recognized artists to emerge from the Albanian music scene.

First release with DJ Snake and Signing with Universal Music

The new agreement builds on an existing relationship with Universal Music, which previously supported the international distribution of successful collaborations such as "Zemër" with Soolking and "Te Quiero" with Murda. These releases introduced Dhurata Dora's music to audiences around the world and laid the groundwork for the next chapter of her international career.

The new partnership begins with the release of "TOKA," Dhurata Dora's first collaboration with DJ Snake, on July 10, marking the first project under the new agreement.

Tom Bohne, President Music Domestic Universal Music, on the collaboration:

“Dhurata Dora has built an impressive international career with a sound that works far beyond regions and languages. She is one of the most relevant artists to emerge from Southeast Europe, and together with Southeast Records we want to further expand her reach and support the next phase of her career. I am very pleased about this partnership and look forward to the first joint releases.”